Thanksgiving and sports: This year's games and stories tasted like bad leftovers
It's bad enough to spend Thanksgiving seeing the Detroit Lions lose in an embarrassing 47-10 fashion to the Tennessee Titans, prompting reactions that the 0-12 Lions are the worst pro sports team ever and that the NFL should forbid Detroit from playing on Thanksgiving Day. Hey, at least one columnist might get his wish to witness a winless NFL team this year.
The remaining two NFL games didn't satisfy my appetite either. I saw the Cowboys turkey dance in an easy 34-9 victory over the Seattle Seahawks. I also saw the Jonas Brothers perform, which didn't impress me or this columnist. Then again, I'm not a screaming 14-year-old girl.
It would've been interesting to watch the Philadelphia Eagles thrash the Arizona Cardinals, but I'm one of many who don't have the NFL Network. I wasn't so much interested in the outcome than to see the return of Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, who apparently was told he'd start this week from a janitor. Last week, it was Eagles quarterback coach Pat Shurmur who delivered the news to McNabb that he'd sit out the second half of last week's game against the Baltimore Ravens.
Since I couldn't watch the Eagles-Cardinals game, I witnessed No. 2 Texas use a 49-9 blowout against Texas A&M as a campaign platform for the Longhorns to stay ahead of Oklahoma in the BCS standings and for quarterback Colt McCoy to win the Heisman Trophy. Let's not forget the Longhorns fans holding up "45-35" signs in reference to Texas' victory on Oct. 11 against the Sooners. The experience prepared me for next week's campaign effort at ESPN's GameDay.
I also saw reports regarding Allen Iverson and Stephon Marbury, two figures who make the headlines for the wrong reasons. If it felt like deja vu when I heard that Iverson is not starting tonight against the Milwaukee Bucks because he missed a Thanksgiving practice, that's because it is deja vu. Only difference: He provided the same antics on a different team. So much for that news conference when Iverson first joined the Pistons.
Marbury's days with New York are numbered for apparently (or definitely) being thought of as a bad teammate within the Knicks' organization after reportedly refusing to play in Wednesday's game against the Pistons.
Fortunately, the lack of quality football games and aforementioned NBA news didn't ruin my appetite on an otherwise good day.
-- Mark Medina
Photo: Tennessee running back Chris Johnson torched the Detroit Lions for 125 yards rushing and two touchdowns on Thanksgiving. Credit: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images
